2026 T25U25: Måns Gudmundsson is #14

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It's been a long time since Toronto has had so many defense prospects of note, even if only a couple of them are high(ish) picks. Cathy got to talk about Fedoseyev, and now I get to talk about Gudmundsson because Swedish defensemen are just my thing apparently!

Måns Gudmundsson	Vitals
Age as of July 1	18.06
Position	RD
Height	6'3"
Weight (lbs)	185
Shoots	R
Draft Year	2026
Draft Number	76

The Player

Gudmundsson, with a June birthday, is the youngest player in Toronto's system now. Yesterday I talked a bit about him, only in the context of how he and a few other defense prospects related to Victor Johansson. Aside from that, if you need a refresher on who he is as a prospect you can refer to the draft profile I wrote about him:

There isn't much to update since then. I have had the chance to see Gudmundsson in a few SHL pre-season games, where he's been getting a good amount of playing time. He certainly has the size to work there, and I can see him getting into at least a good chunk of pro games this year even though he can be returned to junior.

In fact, I've thought that Gudmundsson has looked surprisingly pro-ready in the pre-season. He has the mobility and size to work there, he's made good plays with the puck, and he's generally been solid defensively. He does still show some issues with decision making, where he loses positioning from chasing a hit or something like that. Specifically, the issue crops up when he needs to make quick decisions at the pace of the SHL, but that is something that can improve as he has time to adjust to the higher level.

That's a good pull. Mans Gudmundsson was a solid impact this season. Great on defense and should have turned more chances into goals. The pucks will fall soon.

Great player. @SammyT_51 has argued his value as a first-rounder for much of the year. https://t.co/BoLQn2NeSD pic.twitter.com/rqP9NVh1jL
— Foley (@NHLFoley) May 1, 2026

One blessing for Gudmundsson that could give him an easier path to the SHL this coming season is that his team, Färjestad BK, made Cal Foote one of their off season acquisitions. He's another right shot defenseman, but after being signed the team backed out of the agreement mere days after due to widespread backlash. So as of now, Gudmundsson would be one of only two right shot defensemen on their tentative roster. Two of the other guys on their tentative SHL roster right now are 18 and 21 year olds, and neither are righties.

The Votes

Here's how the votes broke down:

Voter	Vote
Cathy	14
Species	15
Hound Line	10
Shinson93	19
Cameron	17
Sclodiggity	16
Brian S	16
Svalbard38	15
Zone Entry	17
Hardev	14
Adam	17
Weighted Average	15.45
Highest Vote	10
Lowest Vote	19

I haven’t been able to see Gudmundsson as much as I did with Fedosoyev to get a larger sample of observation time, but I like him about the same. I have Gudmundsson at 16, and if I wasn’t more uncertain because watching Sweden’s junior games is a lot harder than Russian games, I might have had him higher. Like I said, I've quite liked what I've seen from him in the pre-season so far, even if I can see some more obvious things he needs to work on.

The same thing I’ve said about Johansson in years past is true for what to expect and hope for Gudmundsson this year. I think he probably has a relatively easier path to the SHL even when he's still so young, but I still think it's more likely for him to have to solidify himself as a top defenseman on his team and the U20 junior league before he's a full time pro guy.

What I want to look for is how much he needs to adapt to the SHL compared to junior, and how quickly he achieves it. I'm aware that pre-season games are not the same as the regular season, considering how veterans typically approach their pre-season games and how often young guys like Gudmundsson get more looks like he is. I specifically want to see how well he handles the increased pace and pressure of professional players, especially when it comes to retrievals and his passing on breakouts as well as his defensive awareness and positioning. I'm not expecting him to become a second pairing lock immediately, but I'd like him to look ready for that by the end of this season.

The Opinions

Here's what some of the other voters had to say:

Sclodiggity: The youngest prospect that we have and with an already strong scouting report. Nobody is lauding over Gudmundsson, but he had a strong year in the Swedish Junior league, and kinda does it all. Good defensive position and gap control, strong breakouts, and played on both special teams. That's a complete player, even if the skills are good but not great.

Hound Line: He’s a solid skater, generally has good gap control but he can get caught flat footed by quicker forwards with how close he plays. He uses his free hand to stiff arm and obstruct without taking penalties. Effectively angles puck carriers to the boards and separates puck from body. Active stick in passing line, good positioning and awareness of multiple attackers on the PK. He has some physical edge, chippiness and finishes checks. Decent vision on the breakout and can see give and go options in the offensive zone. Hands and passing are solid on the forehand with space but in tight areas and awkward angles off the boards, especially on retrievals, he needs improvement. Really good tools and instincts but, he needs the polish that comes from lots of reps.

Shinson93: I like this player profile, but I also take some pause in the fact that Pronman is the only scout that really put some hype on him. Gets a lot of comments about his size and physicality, but to be honest, I don’t think he relies on it from what I was able to watch. Transition is the strength of his game. I have him at the lower end of prospects that I think still have a chance to take a big development leap.

Svalbard38: I always have a bit more time for the youngest player in the Leafs draft class, and Gudmundsson looks like he could be a good one. Good skills, good hockey IQ, and he’s not done improving. He could play in the SHL next season. In a very superficial sense he reminds me of how we talked about Koblar last year, although they’re obviously different players with different styles. Can’t wait to see how we’re talking about him this time next year.

Let us know how Gud you think Mans is!

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